Redeemed
by Amanandia
Summary: What happened to Zira when she fell into the water?
1. Redeemed

Zira couldn't help but wonder, how had things gone so wrong? The plan was very simple; Kovu would 'pretend' to fall in love with Kiara and once Simba and his pride trusted the lion, he would alert the outlanders and they would strike. Instead, what had happened? He oldest son, Nuka, was dead. Her little prince had actually fallen for the prissy princess Kiara. Her children had turned against her. Her whole _pride_ had turned against her.

Washing up on a riverbank a ways away, the fallen lioness dragged herself out of the water, coughing, and laid down. She felt… defeated. At first, her mind screamed at the very idea, but the longer she laid there, unable and unwilling to move, she realized that she was correct in her assumption; she had been defeated. She had lost.

She remembered a long time ago, when she first fell in love with an adolescent Scar… or, as he had been known, Taka. She remembered consoling him when his older brother began spending more time with their father, and when the only lion in the world who had loves him still was his mother. Her mind ran through the different events, all the times she had spent with the lion, and she realized that at some point, Taka's need for revenge over his brother had taken him over. It had corrupted him, and it had turned him evil. And, slowly… he had turned Zira evil.

When she had adopted Kovu, she had seen Scar smile for the first time in many years. He had seen himself in the little cub.

His time with Kovu was limited, though, when he and his hyena army had tried to take over Pride Rock. They had succeeded, even. But, when Simba returned with Nala, all that had changed. Scar had been killed, thrown to the hyenas by his nephew. And when the battle was finished, Simba had banished Zira and her pride to the Outlands.

Scar's last words to her had been "Complete what I couldn't. Make Kovu king." He had said nothing endearing, nothing to show that he still felt love for his mate.

If she was to be honest with herself, Zira should have been angry with Scar, not Simba or Kiara or Nala… or any of them.

Her cubs had not betrayed her. Her children had not turned against her. They had simply fought for what they believed was right. Even Vitani's conscience had gotten the best of her. Kovu… his love. And the rest of her pride seemed to follow Vitani's lead now, and, in a roundabout way, Kovu's.

She had succeeded. She _had_ made Kovu king. It might not have been by murdering Simba and his pride, but she had still done it.

A small smile appeared on Zira's face as she thought about it. It gave her a bit of strength, a small will to move on.

Pawsteps behind her made her lift her head to see who it was. She met the hesitant blue eyes of a lion somewhere around her age, with light tan fur and a cream mane. He eyed her hesitantly for a moment, then stepped closer.

"You seem to be a bit injured," he murmured. He moved to grasp her scruff in her neck and drag her up, but she swiped at him. He simply shook his head. "You need help. I have a friend who specializes in herbs and healing."

And for some reason, Zira let him help. She didn't know why, but she knew that he wasn't going to hurt her and that was good enough.

A few months later, two twin cubs were born; a male and a female. As Zira looked out over the horizon a few days later, she could make out Pride Rock, and atop it, Kovu, Kiara, and the baboon who presented the royal family's children.

Maybe one day Zira would go back, and see how they were doing. Maybe she would apologize, possibly even beg forgiveness from her children and Simba. Maybe one day…

But, for the moment, she was happy knowing that her two oldest cubs were safe and happy.

With a small, contented sigh, she rested her head on her newfound love's back, and together with their brand-new cubs, the family watched the sun go down together.


	2. Redeemed: Alternate Ending

**A/N: This was added as an alternate ending, mostly due to Airezi's review. You make a valid point; the newfound love thing was sort of rushed and definitely couldn't have happened as fast as I made it happen. So, I rewrote the ending and this is the result!**

**I'd love it if you guys could read both versions and tell me which one you like better. :D**

*~*~*~*

Zira couldn't help but wonder, how had things gone so wrong? The plan was very simple; Kovu would 'pretend' to fall in love with Kiara and once Simba and his pride trusted the lion, he would alert the outlanders and they would strike. Instead, what had happened? Her oldest son, Nuka, was dead. Her little prince had actually fallen for the prissy princess Kiara. Her children had turned against her. Her whole _pride_ had turned against her.

Washing up on a riverbank a ways away, the fallen lioness dragged herself out of the water, coughing, and laid down. She felt… defeated. At first, her mind screamed at the very idea, but the longer she laid there, unable and unwilling to move, she realized that she was correct in her assumption; she had been defeated. She had lost.

She remembered a long time ago, when she first fell in love with an adolescent Scar… or, as he had been known, Taka. She remembered consoling him when his older brother began spending more time with their father, and when the only lion in the world who had loved him still was his mother. Her mind ran through the different events, all the times she had spent with the lion, and she realized that at some point, Taka's need for revenge over his brother had taken him over. It had corrupted him, and it had turned him evil. And, slowly… he had turned Zira evil.

When she had adopted Kovu, she had seen Scar smile for the first time in many years. He had seen himself in the little cub.

His time with Kovu was limited, though, when he and his hyena army had tried to take over Pride Rock. They had succeeded, even. But, when Simba returned with Nala, all that had changed. Scar had been killed, thrown to the hyenas by his nephew. And when the battle was finished, Simba had banished Zira and her pride to the Outlands.

Scar's last words to her had been "Complete what I couldn't. Make Kovu king." He had said nothing endearing, nothing to show that he still felt love for his mate.

If she was to be honest with herself, Zira should have been angry with Scar, not Simba or Kiara or Nala… or any of them.

Her cubs had not betrayed her. Her children had not turned against her. They had simply fought for what they believed was right. Even Vitani's conscience had gotten the best of her. Kovu… his love. And the rest of her pride seemed to follow Vitani's lead now, and, in a roundabout way, Kovu's.

She had succeeded. She _had_ made Kovu king. It might not have been by murdering Simba and his pride, but she had still done it.

A small smile appeared on Zira's face as she thought about it. It gave her a bit of strength, a small will to move on.

She rose to her paws, stumbling slightly as her weariness dragged her down. Still, there were rogue lions that roamed the lands she had washed up on. She couldn't possibly let herself lie there, vulnerable.

The lioness looked ahead, seeing how far she had to go, and began walking. It was a short time later that she came to a cave. Sniffing it for a moment, she smelled that it had been abandoned long ago by a cheetah. Its scent was stale.

Shaking her head, she padded inside and curled around herself in a corner, shadows keeping her hidden.

Months later, the female who strode out from the cave seemed to be an entirely different lioness. Gone was the dirt and mud caking her coat. Her bones no longer stuck out from her thin body; indeed, she seemed much better off. Much to her delight, she had found that other lions stayed away from this place. She got all the prey she wanted with nobody to compete with.

Out of the blue, she decided to wander away from her territory for a few hours. It was plenty safe; her scent was all over what she had claimed. It took her quite a bit of running, but she reached a high mountainous structure she had seen on her way to her territory. Without a second thought, she climbed it, walking around and around in what seemed to be an endless pattern. When she reached a high enough vantage point, she perched herself upon the rocks and sat, tail flicking.

She could see Pride Rock from here. It wasn't quite clear, but she could see it and the lions gathered on it. She could also see the animals gathered below, and she knew instantly what was going on; Kovu and Kiara had a cub. She had a grandchild., even though it wasn't related to her. While anyone would have expected her to be enraged by the very sight, she found it heartwarming. Over her time alone, she had found that it was silly and petty of her to be so loathing of Simba and his pride. She had made Kovu king. Yes, it was different than her and Scar's initial plan, but it was even better.

A smile curved on her features. Months ago, this smile would have been evil-looking, sadistic. Now, she simply looked proud, watching from a distance as the old baboon presented a cub to the world. The crowd gathered below bowed and celebrated, and even Zira herself felt the need to roar. And roar she did.

She gave a loud celebratory roar, and could have sworn that she saw Kovu's head turn. In fact, she _knew_ he had heard her. The thought made her smile once again, and she turned to go back to her territory. Before she walked away, though, she stole a glance at the sky. Slight surprise made her eyes widen as she was positive she saw Taka smiling proudly next to his brother, Mufasa. She smiled a slightly sad smile of her own, and sighed. She was happy for the first time in ages. Taka didn't feel betrayed. Her son was going to be King when Simba became to old to lead, and Vitani was happy... She was sure.

Tearing her eyes from the scene she so desperately wished never to part with, she began the trek back to her cave.

One day, she might go back. She might wish to see her grandchild, Kovu, Vitani… even the other pride members. She might ask for forgiveness, might spill her very being to the lions who she knew could hurt her most; her children.

One day, she might. Not today, though, when her grand cub had been born and she knew her presence would instantly darken the mood. For now, she was happy knowing that her cubs, whether related or not, were happy. Nuka was the only one she wondered about, but she chose to believe that he was also happy.

A newfound warmth in her heart made her grin and laugh and bound like she had many, many years ago… when she was still a young lioness lost in love. She felt weightless, happy. She felt different, and with this in mind, knew she would never be the same as she once had.

Far off, on Pride Rock, Kovu turned his head from the ceremony of their daughter. "Did you hear that?" he asked his wife. "I heard a roar…"

Kiara watched him thoughtfully. "I did hear something," she responded, turning her eyes back to their cub. "Who do you think it was?"

Kovu shook his head and simply smiled. He knew who it was who had bellowed out that roar, yes… but for now, he would keep that knowledge to himself, knowing it would worry the rest of the pride. Turning his gaze away from the giant structure he saw far off in the distance, he watched as Rafiki grinned and held their daughter in his arms, bringing the cub back to her parents. She sneezed, and Kiara laughed gently, nuzzling the cub.

"Kiara…" he murmured. "I want to call her Zika." Kiara glanced at him, knowing why instantly, and smiled.

"Zika it is."


End file.
